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Thursday, 28 April 2016

Review - 'Containment', Episode 2 - 'I To Die, You To Live'

The
previous episode of Containment
had set the scene for a series that seemed to have a fair amount of
potential, but which also had some issues that it needed to resolve.
While the show's central 'viral outbreak' premise was instantly
compelling and, judging by what we saw in the first episode, very
well-realised, it was somewhat disappointing to have to come to the
conclusion that the same just couldn't be said about some of the
characters that we met. Unfortunately, by the end of the second
episode, I found that I was left to draw much the same conclusion.

Much like with the
previous episode, any scene that concerns itself directly with the
viral outbreak plays out in a way that feels genuinely tense – as
the series seeks to offer up a fascinating, and disturbingly
realistic, take on its subject matter. Here, especially, Lex
Carnahan's (David Gyasi) efforts to maintain control outside of the
quarantine zone encounter fairly significant complications when a
teenage girl who had previously been in contact with one of the
already infected patients is identified.

For a few, very
tense, moments, there was a genuine sense of uncertainty that the
virus might already have spread beyond the quarantine area – and,
while it was unlikely that the series would have gone in such a
direction on its second episode, it was still a very well-played
moment.

Fortunately,
though, it is soon discovered that the girl in question, 15 year old
Elizabeth Franklin (Elle Roberts) is still located within the
quarantine zone – though, unfortunately, there is still the small
matter of the 4000 other people, similarly contained, who now face
increased risk of infection. And, so, with Lex unable to take any
action from outside the walls, it falls to Jake Riley (Chris Wood) to
step up as the police's official representative withing the contained
section of the city.

Jake, however,
remains oddly difficult to get a proper handle on, as a character.
There have been hints, both in the previous episode and in this one,
that he is a man with his own list of unresolved issues, of course –
but, so far, all we have really seen of him is the oddly resentful
attitude he seems to have developed toward Lex in response to finding
himself trapped within the quarantine zone. The fact that he, as a
police officer, would even go as far as deliberately avoiding the
calls of the person who is, technically, his superior doesn't exactly
make him seem like the most capable, or competent, of characters.
Though, to be fair, he does share some strong moments with Katie
Frank (Kristin Gutoskie) – as, seemingly in spite of himself, he
does find himself moved to do what he can to help, at least as far as
Katie, and the children under her care, are concerned.

Teresa Keaton
(Hanna Mangan Lawrence) had something of a scare, too, when it turned
out that a party she had been invited to was the very same one at
which Elizabeth Franklin was eventually located – meaning that
many of her friends, including the one who had payed her a visit
earlier in the episode, may already be infected. I have to admit
that, while Teresa didn't make all that strong an impression on me in
the first episode, that single scene in which her immediate reaction
to learning that she might also be infected was to hastily clean up
after herself and leave her grandmother's house as quickly as she can
went some way toward raising my opinion of her. Sure, she might have
chosen to hide herself away, rather than seeking out medical help –
but, that sort of admirable selflessness in situation like this is
exactly the sort of thing that can elevate a somewhat bland character
into a genuinely likable one. It was just a great little character
defining moment.

Dr. Victor Cannerts
(George Young), the CDC representative also trapped within the
quarantine zone, is quickly proving to be another fascinating figure
within the series – especially when you consider this episode's seeming
indication that he is not being entirely honest about the details of
the outbreak. The fact that George Young is playing Dr. Cannerts with
a strange sort of unshakable calm only serves to enhance the
impression that this is a man with some secrets to be revealed. If you
combine this little detail with the hints that we have already
received suggesting that the whole outbreak may actually be the
result of bio-terrorism, and it becomes clear that Containment
does actually have some interesting mysteries set to play out over
the course of its thirteen episodes.

Beyond that,
though, much remains unchanged from the first episode. Lex Carnahan
and Dr. Sabine Lommers (Claudia Black) each still feel like they have
the potential to grow into genuinely fascinating characters – but,
need more screen-time before they reach that point. Jana Mayfield
(Christina Moses) remains an especially bland character, with nothing
to really justify the importance that is clearly being placed on her
beyond the fact that she is Lex's girlfriend. And, beyond that, much
of the rest of the supporting cast could also benefit from some more
developing, too.

So, as I said,
Containment remains in much the same position by the end of
its second episode as it was at the end of its first. It is still a
series that seems to have quite a bit of potential – but, that
potential remains somewhat unfulfilled. However, if future episodes
are able to make room for more of the great little character moments
that we had with this episode, then the cast of characters we have
been introduced to should soon be allowed to developed into genuinely
compelling figures more than capable of holding the audience's
attention. On a similar note, once we begin to delve into the hinted
at mystery regarding the true cause of this sudden outbreak (whatever
it might prove to be), things promise to get much more interesting.